Archive for the ‘Marijuana Debate’ Category

It is a mixture of seeds, stems and leaves that originate from the hemp plant. There are actually over 200 different street names for marijuana. Every single type of marijuana on the planet alters the mind in some way.

Marijuana actually changes the way that the human brain functions. A substance known as THC is the active chemical that is inside of marijuana. However, marijuana also contains over 400 other chemicals that have some negative effect on the human body.

Why Is Marijuana Addictive?

Over time, marijuana has been grouped together with a wide range of addictive drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not even know the reason why this drug is so addictive. There are several reasons why marijuana is so addictive for people who use it.

One of the most obvious reasons why people succumb to marijuana addiction is because it makes a person feel good. In most cases, the senses are enhanced to make ordinary situations seem very amusing. People who use marijuana normally feel much better both mentally and physically after they use it.

The way that marijuana makes the human body feel is the number one reason why many people have problems when they want to quit using it. Using marijuana is considered a social and pleasurable experience. The psychoactive compounds in marijuana are very strong, which makes it that much harder for a person to quit.

What Are The Negative Effects Of Marijuana Addiction?

Effects on the Lungs

A variety of studies shows that marijuana can cause lung cancer. Inside of marijuana smoke, there are many carcinogens known to cause different types of cancer. In addition, the way in which a person uses marijuana helps to determine cancer risk.

People who smoke marijuana normally hold the smoke inside of their lungs for a long period of time, which keeps the smoke in contact with cells. Using marijuana can cause increased mucus production and irritate the lungs.

Effects on the Brain

Marijuana addiction impairs mental functioning significantly. Fine motor skills and mental perception are also impaired when a person uses marijuana. People who use marijuana also have difficulty solving problems and thinking efficiently. Memory formation and learning are also impaired.

When a person uses marijuana, their memory and learning ability can remain impaired for weeks. Studies show that people who smoke marijuana are much more likely to develop some type of mental illness such as depression, anxiety or schizophrenia.

Effects on the Heart

Smoking marijuana has been shown to increase a person’s heart rate by anywhere from 20 to as much as 100 percent. Increased heart rate can last for a period of three hours. People who smoke marijuana are five times more likely to suffer a heart attack. Another problem with using marijuana is the fact that it causes the heart to beat irregularly.

What Are The Advantages Of Quitting Marijuana Use?

A lot of people can use marijuana in moderation and continue on with their life. However, there are some people who have trouble controlling marijuana use, and they would like to quit using it altogether. One great reason to quit using marijuana is to save money.

Chronic marijuana users normally purchase in quantity, which can cause them to spend a lot of money. By quitting marijuana, a person stands to save a substantial amount of money. Upon quitting marijuana, a person can benefit from increased stamina because their lungs are no longer adversely affected. Once marijuana is out of the picture, lung capacity will increase dramatically.

Another excellent reason to quit using marijuana is for better sleep. Using marijuana disrupts natural sleep cycles, which is why better sleep is the result of quitting marijuana. These are just a few of the most popular reasons why people choose to eliminate marijuana addiction from their life.

I often have readers write in to ask my advice on special quitting techniques for those who have been smoking pot for 10, 20 or even 30 years or more. After smoking more than half their lifetimes, many of these people find that they are suffering health problems such as breathing difficulties, throat cancer or infertility. Others are simply tired of feeling like garbage all of the time. Others still feel that they have missed out on so much that at this point in their lives, they have a lot of making up to do.

Just as there are so many different motivations for quitting, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for beating the cravings and complications a long-term marijuana addict must face. Each person started smoking pot for their own personal reasons, but more importantly, they had their own reasons that kept them doing it for so many years. A stop smoking program must also be tailored to their unique needs.

Quitting marijuana after a long-term addiction is more than simply stopping an activity. Smoking weed is a lifestyle. It affects everything a marijuana addict does, from the moment they wake in the morning to the minute they finally pass out stoned at night. Long-term addicts make friends with other pot smokers – it’s just easier to surround yourself with people who are okay with what you’re doing twelve hours of the day, isn’t it?

They have special places to go on their break from work to smoke up. They routinely smoke a joint after work to release the stress of the day. They have one after supper to unwind and relax. These are the habits that are so hard to let go of. Over the years that a person is addicted, marijuana infiltrates every aspect of their life, becoming intertwined and associated with everything they do throughout the day.

This is the biggest hurdle the long-term marijuana addict must face. How can you possibly quit when every single thing you have done throughout the day over the last twenty years reminds you of how much you want to smoke a joint? How can you explain to your pot smoker buddies that you can’t be around them any more when they’re just doing what you’ve all done together for the last few decades? How can you possibly wake up every morning to face the cravings you are sure to endure all day long?

Long-term marijuana addicts have a long, hard road ahead of them when they plan to quit. However, the rewards of successfully quitting are also exponentially greater. I’ve spoken with recovered marijuana addicts who, one year after smoking their last joint, now feel and look fifteen years younger. They often feel as though they should have quit years ago.

Why do non-smokers not become addicted to smoking when they inhale your second hand smoke?

Here are some interesting questions you should consider to ask yourself. I am not about to tell you what you should or shouldn’t be doing. That is your decision and your choice. No one can help you if you don’t want help. Fact is, I used to be a weed smoker and since I have given it up, life has been great!

You see the majority of people who try and give up end up failing because they are giving up using willpower. Well, lets break that down a bit. Willpower is deciding to do something against what you desire.

In fact that is so important, I am going to write it again … willpower is deciding to do something against what you desire.

When you try and do something against what you truly desire you are creating more stress for yourself because you feel like you are missing out on something. Is stress what you need in your life?? NO!

Stress is a trigger to smoke!! So, you give up, create more stress for yourself and wonder why you couldn’t resist the cravings???? It’s simple when you break it down.

What is the best way to give up smoking? Get rid of cravings. Focus upon that. If you have no cravings, you will have no problems.

Should cannabis be legalized?
Personally my views on the matter is absolutely yes. I was recently directed to a marijuana campaign currently in development which was campaigning for the legalization of the drug.

Why? Because we are uncertain as to what we are actually smoking, how many of us are smoking it and why we smoke it. There is no way to govern it’s usage because it is part of the black market. The government is loosing out on a taxable resource, it’s users are loosing out by not knowing what pesticides are being used or even the strength of the harvest.

We just don’t know what we are smoking/eating/consuming!

When it is put like that, it is so true. How many of you can remember having a bad smoke? Some brown looking weed? Something just didn’t taste right or normal when you got your last bag off of your dealer. This is frequent occurrence and something that I would like to see change. Dealers generally don’t care and don’t know where the marijuana is coming from, they don’t know how it was grown, what level of pesticides were used and what conditions it was grown in. There could be anything in the soil for all you know. And because there is a huge market for marijuana, the drug dealers just couldn’t care less for your health! As long as they keep making their bucks that is all that matters to them.

Think about it for a moment. Unless you grow your own supply do you know exactly what the history is of those buds you possess?

Let me know what you think on this matter. Click on the comments button below and let me know your views. If you want more information about the campaign I have spoke about in this blog then feel free to email me.gary@cannabisaddicts.com

I think that marijuana should not only be legal, I think it should be a cottage industry. It would be wonderful for the state of Maine. There’s some pretty good homegrown dope. I’m sure it would be even better if you could grow it with fertilizers and have greenhouses.